Lovers in a Dangerous Time
by Becca Bing
Summary: Urgh ok! Trying this *again*. Song fic--Mon is a maid for Chandler's family--set in the 20's. Please r&r thanks!:)


Lovers in a Dangerous Time

~Hey all! This is just a stand-alone song fic to the song Lovers in a Dangerous Time, by Barenaked Ladies, that I've decided to write. It's the product of a day off from school due to the stomach flu. Oh and thanks to Stephanie, cuz I decided to listen to my Barenaked Ladies CD cuz she told me that they were on her radio…he, he. (I bet she doesn't read this, but w/e). So, if u think that this fic sux, then go stone Steph cuz I wouldn't have written this if it weren't for her! ;-) Ok, umm…this fic takes place in the 20's and everything else should hopefully be answered once u read this. Ok, I hope this isn't crap, but it's just a stand-alone, so it's not that big of a deal if it is. I've never done a fic in a different time period, so yeah, that could also be a bit of a problem. Ok, anyway, please read and review, thanks! :o)~

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters, nor do I own the lyrics to Lovers in a Dangerous Time by Barenaked Ladies.

Chandler sat in his room, while reading a book. Ever so often, he would stop reading and listen to the discussion being held downstairs, when things got really intense.

"Charles," Chandler heard his mother complain, "What are we going to do about a new maid? With Helen gone, we have no one to clean the house."

"You could try to do it," he answered grumpily. 

"Ha! I have plenty of other things."

Mockingly, he added, "Like your _books_?" 

"Hey! They make us money, do they not?"

"They're garbage, Nora!"

"How are they garbage?!"

"I'm not getting into this AGAIN! If I tell you to stop writing, you stop writing!" 

Chandler walked over to the radio and turned it on. He began to change the stations until Jazz music covered up his parents' bickering. He was sick of being in his house, sick of his family and their problems, but most of all, he was sick of living up to the expectations of the rich. He hated attending party after party full of fake smiles and surreal conversations of college and career. Chandler hated that his father and all of his "friends" expected him to become a lawyer. That wasn't Chandler's passion. He wished to become a journalist. That way, he could learn about and travel around the vast and interesting world. He could meet so many different types of people, and finally not feel trapped in his tedious life. However, Chandler's dreams were always cut short when he saw the huge law book sitting on his desk. He went over to the book and began to read it. What other choice did he have?

**Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by**

**_You never get to stop and open our eyes_**

          A few days later, Chandler returned to his apartment building, carrying his vast amount of college textbooks in his arms. He walked up the stairs to their Park Avenue apartment, when he saw his father walk past him in a huff. 

"Dad?" Chandler ventured. 

His father stopped and turned around, visibly annoyed for the interruption. 

"Where are you going?"

"Out. Don't worry about it. Just get to studying, you hear me?"

"Yes sir."

"That's my boy," Charles said, while walking out the door. 

Chandler wondered where his father went off to every night. He never stayed for dinner anymore, and he and his mother never spoke without fighting. Every morning, his father would return with dark circles under his eyes and smelling like tequila. He wondered if his mother knew where he went off to every night. Chandler hoped, for her sake, that she didn't. Though he knew not of where his father went, he was sure that it wasn't somewhere classy. 

**_One minute you're waiting for the sky to fall_**

          Chandler made his way up to his apartment and opened the door. He entered the warm, heated room and began to shake the snow off of his overcoat.

"Chandler?" his mother called from their living room.

"Yes, mother."

"Oh good, could you come in her for a moment, dear?"

He hung up his coat and removed his hat from his head. After that, he headed into the living room. He saw his mother sitting there with a young woman. He could not see the face of the woman, for she was facing his mother. All he saw was her shoulder-length dark hair and slender figure. 

"Chandler, this is our new maid, Monica." 

"Hello Monica," Chandler greeted. She turned around and smiled at him. At that moment, Chandler felt like as if he couldn't breathe. She was amazing. The way her rosy cheeks stood out on her paled face. And that smile—Chandler felt it light up the room around him. 

"N…nice to…meet you," Chandler stuttered. 

She didn't speak, just smiled again and nodded. 

Chandler felt a tug at his heart. __

**_The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all_**

          Once Monica began working at their house, Chandler found himself thinking about her all the time. When he was at home, he would stare at her out of the corner of his eye. She was magnificent to him. He had never seen a woman quite like her. Her beauty radiated from her, no matter her clothes or what job she was doing. Chandler could tell, just from watching her, that she was not phony like all the women he knew. Every time he would go out with a woman, he would break up with her after the first date. His friends told him he was overly picky, but Chandler knew exactly what he was looking for. He was looking for a woman who didn't live to please him. One who would not be interested in him purely for the money. He wanted a woman who could hold an intelligent conversation with him, and not one having to do with the latest gossip or picture in the theaters. 

          One evening, Chandler sat at the dinner table with his mother, and Monica came out to serve their food. Chandler watched her as she quickly and efficiently brought out and put down each plate. She had such grace and diligence. She should not be working for them. Chandler could tell she had so much potential, but probably was not given the change to live up to it. Chandler continued to stare at Monica, and found himself wondering if she, perhaps, was the type of woman he was looking for. He decided that he would have to speak to her later on to find out. When Monica returned to the kitchen, he heard his mother clear her throat. Quickly, Chandler snapped out of his trance and turned his attention towards his mother.

"Am I going to have to let her go, Chandler?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you developing a crush on her?"

"No Ma'am."

"You know you cannot date her."

Chandler laughed. "Of course I can't. And I do not wish to, either."

Nora looked at her son skeptically. "I'm warning you, Chandler. It won't work. It's too risky."

"I know. Don't worry."__

          However, Chandler didn't take his mother's advice. The next afternoon, while his mother was out shopping, Chandler approached Monica, who was sweeping the dinning room floor. 

Chandler smiled. "Hello."

She continued to sweep, but answered in a quite voice, "Hello."

Chandler glanced out the window. "It's such a beautiful day out; the light shining off the white snow and all. It's like a scene from a book."

Monica looked out and window for a moment and then nodded in agreement. 

"I recall, when I was younger, I used to go sledding and have snowball fights in Central Park. It was great fun. Did you ever do any of those things?"

Monica just nodded. 

Chandler turned to her. "You don't speak much, do you?"

Monica shook her head.

"Why not?"

She shrugged. 

"I feel as if I am speaking to myself here."

"Sorry," she answered, in the same hushed voice as before.

"You shouldn't feel threatened by me, just because you work for my parents. I am not like them."

Monica nodded again.

"No, seriously! I'm not!"

"I believe you. I'm not like my parents, either."

"What are your parents like?"

Monica shrugged. "My mother's pretty critical and my father, I do not remember."

"He passed away?"

"Yes. When I was two."

"I'm sorry."

Monica shrugged in response.

"You have a nice voice, Miss. You should speak more."

She looked at him, surprised. It was not usual for an employer to call his maid, miss. Also, she was surprised he was even taking the time to speak to her, not to mention compliment her. 

Chandler knew exactly why Monica was wearing a shocked look on her face. "I told you, I am not your employer. My parents are."

Monica nodded.

"And I am serious about your voice."

She blushed and bit her bottom lip. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Chandler was about to continue when he heard his mother enter the apartment. "It was nice speaking to you, Miss."

"You too."

He left the living room and headed up the stairs to his room. He felt his mother's eyes on him and knew that she would never leave the two of them alone again. __

          A few mornings later, Chandler decided to skip school and wait for Monica. He was aware that his mother was inside, writing the latest chapter in her new novel, so he sat on the stoop outside. He brought a book with him, but didn't read much of it. Instead, he watched all the people walk by him. They had these jobs that Chandler found to be much more interesting than defending a rich capitalist in his next trial. For instance, he watched as the mailman delivered mail to the different homes. 

"How many different people he must meet," Chandler decided.

He drifted out of his thoughts when he saw Monica crossing the street and heading towards him. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his slacks. When she reached him, she gasped in surprise. 

"S…s..sir," she stuttered, "I..is there a problem."

"No, none at all." He smiled. "Sorry to worry you."

Monica couldn't help but smile back. "Okay."

"You arrive very early. Do you not begin work at eight o'clock?"

"I do."

"But it's seven fifteen." 

Monica looked away sheepishly. "I like to be punctual." 

"I see." He laughed. "I'm the complete opposite. I am usually late for things, especially when I do not wish to be there. It drives my professors crazy."

Monica nodded. "What college do you attend?"

"New York University."

"Do you like it?"

"Not at all."

She laughed, but stopped when she realized she was being impolite. "I'm sorry for asking you these questions. I'll get to wo…"

"No, no. I do not mind. I like to talk to people who aren't completely boring and pushy."

She smiled. "You know many people like that?"

"I don't know anyone who isn't." He sat down on the stoop and laid out his jacket next to him. "Please join me."

Monica hesitated.

"I insist."

"Well, okay," she relented and cautiously sat down beside him. "Aren't you cold without your jacket?"

"Not at all. Are you cold?"

"No. This coat may be ugly, but it's the warmest."

He smiled. "All the women I know wear coats that don't keep them warm. I think it's crazy."

She chuckled. "I used to have friends like that. Style over comfort."

"Yes, yes I know. But I think it's crazy!"

Monica laughed and began to let her guard down. Chandler seemed to want to talk to her and she was enjoying speaking to him, in return. 

          They continued to converse until Monica looked down at her watch and gasped. "I'm late!" 

Chandler looked down at his own watch. "Only a minute late."

"A minute?! I thought it was only a half a minute!" she jumped up. "It was nice speaking to you." Before he could answer, she ran inside the building.

Chandler watched her with a wide smile on his face. Once she disappeared up the steps, Chandler began to walk the streets and continued smiling.  

          After that, Chandler waited for Monica on his steps every morning. Once he did that for a week, Monica began coming earlier in order to spend more time with him. They talked about everything from books to family to life in general. One morning, about two weeks after they began meeting, Chandler sat down on the stoop and wrung his hands together nervously. This time, he had a proposition for Monica and was afraid of how she would answer him. He saw her smiling face from across the street and he rose and smiled back at her. When she got closer to him, the anxiety Chandler had felt before disappeared, all because he stared into her gentle, blue eyes. 

"Hi Chandler!" she greeted happily. 

"Hello Monica. You look lovely this morning."

She blushed. "It isn't the truth, but thank you very much."

"But it is the truth."

Monica snorted. 

Chandler couldn't help but smile even broader at that. None of the women he knew before her would ever snort. It was considered to not be lady-like. "You don't know what you are saying, Monica. You are the most beautiful woman I know."

Monica blushed and looked away. 

"Not only are you beautiful, but you are smart, sophisticated, and above all, not a snob."

She laughed. "Thank you," she answered shyly. 

"Oh, so now you're quiet again," he joked. 

She laughed at his joke. "Thank you," she answered in a more confident voice.

"That's better." He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. "Monica, I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"It may sound totally absurd to you, since it does to…uh…most women. But I really, _really _like you."

"I like you, too."

"No, no. I _really _like you, Monica. You are everything I've wanted, yet never found, in a woman."

Monica stared at him, shocked to her very core. 

"Now, I know you may think of me as rich and that we're in different classes, but I don't care about any of that! I like you a lot and that's all that matters! And, I know you probably don't feel the same way, but…"

Monica cut him off abruptly. "Are you serious?"

"Is it really that preposterous?" he wondered in a hurt tone. 

"No. It's just…you're you…and I'm me."

"Really? Cause I hadn't noticed that."

She rolled her eyes and he smiled apologetically. "I tend to make jokes when I'm nervous." 

"No, it's just…you're rich and I'm poor. I work for you!"

"No!" he answered harshly, but then softened, "You work for my parents. As I told you before, I am not my parents. I never wish to be." 

Monica looked at him and bit her lip. She then moved towards him and lightly entwined her fingers through his. 

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

          "You are so beautiful," Chandler whispered in Monica's ear, while walking through Central Park a few weeks later. Monica felt goose bumps rise on her body, but they were not from the cold air. 

"Thank you. You're very handsome, too."

"I know," he quipped. Monica laughed and kissed him on the cheek. 

Chandler wrapped an arm around Monica protectively as they continued to walk. Suddenly, Chandler dropped his arm from around her and stopped dead in his tracks. 

"What is it?" Monica wondered.

Chandler grabbed her arm. "Turn around."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you while we walk. Just turn around."

Monica obliged and tried to keep up with Chandler's hasty pace. When they were out of the park, Monica turned and saw Chandler's pale face. 

"What is it, Chandler?"

"That was my father."

"Did he see us?"

"I think so."

"What do we do?" Monica wondered fearfully. 

"We hope for the best. But don't worry, my parents cannot keep me away from you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I love you, Monica."

"You do?"

"Very much so."

"I love you, too." 

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

          Chandler held Monica in his arms late that night in a chair his room. They were fully clothed and Chandler was just kissing Monica's hair. 

"Chandler," Monica began nervously, "I'm so afraid of what will happen if your parents see us in here."

"Don't worry, Monica. My father goes out every night until around 3 AM and my mother is passed out on her bed by now."

Monica looked away nervously.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." 

"No, you didn't. I'm just…sorry that you have to go through this. You don't deserve it. You're a good person."

Chandler shrugged. "We can't control those types of things." 

"Just like we can't control who we fall in love with," Monica added. 

"Exactly. But I'm so glad I fell in love with you."

Monica smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm glad, too."

**_These fragile bodies of touch and taste_**

          Chandler began to run his hands through Monica's dark hair and trailed kisses down her neck. "You're skin is so soft. And you smell so good." 

Monica moaned in response. 

**_This fragrant skin this hair like lace_******

Chandler hugged Monica closer to him. "God, you're _so_ beautiful."

Monica moved forward and captured Chandler's lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Chandler began to run his hands all over her body, and Monica did the same to him in return. 

"Monica…" Chandler began in a throaty voice.

Before he could continue, she responded, "Mmmhmm."

Slowly, he unbuttoned her long dress, leaving her in just her undergarments. Monica unbuttoned his white shirt and ran her fingers over his chest. Chandler moaned and took his shirt off of his body, never allowing their kiss to break. Chandler picked Monica up and softly placed her on his bed. He then kicked off his pants and hovered above her. 

"I love you," he whispered and recaptured her lips with his own. 

**_Spirits open to the thrust of grace_**

**_Never a breath you can afford to waste_**

          "Chandler," he heard his father's voice boom through the apartment the next afternoon. "Chandler Bing get down here at once!" 

Reluctantly, Chandler headed down the stairs and met his father, who was standing in the middle of the living room with anger obviously written all over his face. 

"Yes sir?"

"Why did I see you with the _maid _yesterday?"

"What maid?" 

"Don't play stupid with me, Chandler!"

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

"You're right. However, I should ask you the same question."

"Excuse me?!"

"Who were you with in the park yesterday?"

"Don't you dare…"

"It was a man."

"Chandler, I swear I'll kill you…"

"Father, are you…?"

His father cut him off by punching Chandler in the stomach. At that point, both Nora and Monica had gathered in the next room to see what was going on. Monica gasped when she watched Chandler recoil in pain and fall on the ground. 

"Chandler," Monica whispered, while tears began to flow from her eyes. 

"I told him to stay away," Nora commented while shaking her head.

Monica, however, just stared at Chandler, lying helplessly on the floor. 

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

**Lovers in a dangerous time**

          Charles walked into the other room, past the two women. However, he turned around and approached them. 

"You," he pointed to Monica, "Are fired. We will not pay you to corrupt our son any longer."

"Yes sir," Monica answered in a shaky voice. 

Charles then turned to Nora. "When Chandler comes to, tell him he is being transferred to another college, effective next week."

With that, Charles left the apartment in a huff. 

**Lovers in a dangerous time**

          When he left, Monica ran over to Chandler and knelt at his side. 

"Chandler," she whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry that I did this to you! I'm so sorry!" She then buried her head in her hands and sobbed. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her softly. She picked up her head to see Chandler's bright blue eyes, lined with concern.

"You didn't do this to me."

"Yes I did!"

**_When you're lovers in a dangerous time_**

**Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime**

Chandler kissed her cheek and then whispered in Monica's ear, "Move away with me?" 

"What?"

"We can move away!" He sat up and winced in pain. Still, he didn't let that put a damper on his excitement. "We can move away! Move to the west coast!"

"What? How?"

"I have tons of money. Come on, please!"

"Well…"

"I want to be with you, Monica."

"I want to be with you, too."

"Well, then, what's holding you back?"

"Nothing."

"So you'll come?"

She smiled broadly. "Yeah, I will."__

**_Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight_**

**_Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight_**

          The next morning, Chandler met Monica at the train station, since it was too risky to meet anywhere near his home. Chandler saw Monica carrying her suitcase and grabbed it from her. They then sat on a bench and waited for the train to arrive at the station. 

**_When you're lovers in a dangerous time_**

"Are you scared?" Chandler wondered.

"How can you not be?"

"I am scared. But I'm more excited than anything else. Finally, I can be whatever I want to be! And so can you! And we can do this together!"

Monica smiled, catching Chandler's excitement. "You're right!" 

Chandler looked at her smiling face, with her eyes dancing, and made a decision. "Before we go, I have one more question for you."

"What's that?"

"Will you marry me?"

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

"What? Really?" Monica asked in excitement.

"Well, yeah! We're gonna be living together anyway. Plus, you're probably pregnant. And above all, I love you and cannot imagine living my life without you." 

Monica smiled and replied in a shy tone, "Yes."

Chandler smiled and kissed her passionately. "So now you get all shy on me again?" He kidded. 

She laughed, and tears slid down her cheeks. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just…so happy."

He brushed away her tears with his thumbs. "I've never been happier." __

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

          The train pulled up to the station, and Chandler grabbed their bags. They headed onto the train, and sat down next to each other. Chandler wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the scent of her hair. 

"It's time for our new beginning."

Monica smiled and hugged Chandler back. "I can't wait."

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

**_Lovers in a dangerous time_**

          A year later, Monica sat on a rocking chair in their small home in Arizona, nursing a black-haired baby boy.

"You are so cute," she cooed. "I love you so much."

The baby began to fuss, so Monica lifted him and began to burp him. "Do you miss your daddy? Don't worry, daddy's going to be home soon." 

 Chandler entered the room and smiled at the scene in front of him. "Daddy's right here."

Monica got up and Chandler kissed her softly on the lips. Then she handed him their son. 

"Hey there, how's my boy?" They baby just gurgled in response. He turned to Monica. "In baby language, that means he had a good day with his mommy."

She smiled. "So how was your day?"

"Just got better, now that I'm here with my little boy and his beautiful mommy."

"Can you believe that we've been on our own for a year already."

"It doesn't feel that long."

"No, it doesn't."

"I guess time just flies when you're finally happy."

Monica kissed him on the cheek. "I guess so."

**_We were lovers in a dangerous time_**

**_We were lovers in a dangerous time_**__

Ok, I hope u liked it! Anyway, please make my day and review, thanks! :-)


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